Cabana Bar and Grill

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Restaurants
image
Cabana Bar and Grill

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a restaurant review. I hadn’t really planned to do one today, but I kind of stumbled into one. For lunch today I visited the Cabana Bar and Grill, located in the former Haus Edelweiss on Wade Hampton. I had actually pulled in just to get a shot of the new sign and picture of the business that had replaced Haus Edelweiss. I saw several cars in the parking lot, and there was a sign that said “Open”, so I decided to check it out.

Background

As mentioned, this was once Haus Edelweiss. I had a chance to speak to the owner, who told me that they had been friends with the owners of Haus Edelweiss. Her mother had been catering in the area, so when the restaurant came available, they took the opportunity to establish their own place. I was told that they hope to feature lots of Latin American dishes, but for now they are focusing on Colombian cuisine.

The restaurant has only been open for two weeks.

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Yesterday’s Tomorrows, Revisited

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Entertainment, Miscellaneous
amazing vintage sci-fi art
“If” Magazine Cover
from Flickr user “Modern Fred”

Hard to believe that 2014 will mark ten years of RandomConnections. As such, throughout the year I may be dredging up some old posts (basically because I’m lazy and it saves having to come up with new ideas.)

One of my personal favorites was from July 2004, when I wrote a post entitled “Yesterday’s Tomorrows.” In that post I put together a list of things that would have already happened, if various SciFi novels and movies were actually correct. I figured that with everyone making predictions for the new year, it might be a good idea to revisit and update this ten year old list.

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2014 RandomConnections Calendar

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on 2014 RandomConnections Calendar
Miscellaneous, Photography
Tree Roots
Cover Photo – Tree Roots on the old Furman University Campus

Each year since about 2007 I’ve been making calendars for my family. Last year because of Laura’s illness I didn’t get around to making any, until my Mom said that she really missed having one. I hastily threw one together after Christmas and only printed a very few of them. This year I made enough for immediate family, but have also made the calendar available online for purchase.

When I first started this I tried to select my favorite photos from the past year. However, some years were better than others for photography, and I had to resort to another strategy. I created a Flickr group called “Calendar Potentials” where I would keep photos that might work. I draw images from that collection, and remove them from that group once they are used in a calendar.

The first calendars I created were printed using qoop.com. That service discontinued last year, so I had to use snapfish.com. This year the calendar was printed using lulu.com. The process was much smoother, there were more options for design, and overall it was less expensive. I think I’ll stick with them for future calendars.

Each year my family asks about the photos that appear in the calendar, so I do a blog post describing that year’s calendar shots. This year is no different. Here are the images for 2014:

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25th Anniversary Cruise

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Travel

Cruise Sunset

For our 25 Anniversary we wanted to do something special. We had talked about going to New York and catching a a play, or perhaps doing something else. Eventually, we decided to do a cruise to the Bahamas. It was somewhat last minute, but we were able to book a cruise on Royal Caribbean leaving from Port Canaveral with the perfect itinerary. We would leave on our anniversary, December 27th, and would return in time to get home before the madness of New Year’s. We had considered seeing in the new year on a ship, but combined with our trip to see family in Florida, it would be a bit too much.

I’ve been on lots of boats, but we’ve never taken a cruise. Truth be told, we have been avoiding it. We like to control our own destinies, and big cruise ships seemed like large crowded vessels that would send my agoraphobia into overtime. So, a shorter three night tour seemed like a good way to get my feet wet, so to speak.

Our itinerary would take us from Port Canaveral to Nassau, where we would spend a day. We would then travel to Coco Cay (actually, Little Stirrup Key, but Royal Caribbean renamed it when they bought the island), then we would return. We booked three excursions – a glass bottom boat ride in Nassau, kayaking in Coco Cay, and an Eco Boat Tour, also on Coco Cay.

This was our first tour, but I’m resisting the urge to document every detail, as I normally do here. Lots people of been on cruises, so I won’t belabor the point. However, I will start right off by annoying people with a vacation slide show:

[fsg_gallery id=”31″]

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Florida Geocaching and Caching Recollections

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Geocaching and Maps

Recollections I was a pioneer in the geocaching craze. Well, really an early adopter. I got my first GPS in 1998, long before anyone realized how these might revolutionize the world. My plan at the time was to use it to mark locations for genealogy – home places, grave sites, etc. However, I wanted to … Read More “Florida Geocaching and Caching Recollections” »

A Taylor-Wright Christmas

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Family, Miscellaneous

Wright Family Christmas 2013-8

Christmas was a whirlwind. With Thanksgiving so late, it came and went faster than I could imagine. Last year was marked by stress and serious illness. This year, we had much to celebrate.

A Taylor Family Christmas

First up was the gathering with my family on Sunday evening. The Taylor Clan gathered at the family home in Gray Court, and most of us were able to be there. At least all of my siblings were there…

Taylor Family Christmas 2013-029

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Do You Hear What I Hear?

Posted on By Tom 3 Comments on Do You Hear What I Hear?
Music
Original Illustration by Phillip Light
Click image for website and more in this series

I clearly remember the first time I heard this song. I was about six years old, and we had just gotten the Goodyear album “The Great Songs of Christmas” volume 6. The album had recordings of Christmas music from many popular artists, but the one that impressed me most was Andy William’s rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” I’d never heard it before, and fell in love with the song. I vaguely remember singing it all the time.

According to that most trusted of online resources, Wikipedia, the song was written in 1962 by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne as a plea for peace right after the Cuban Missle Crisis. The Harry Simeone Chorale first recorded the song, but it really took off with a Bing Crosby recording in 1963.

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The Christmas War

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Miscellaneous

I’m not talking about the idiocy stirred up by Faux News to generate ratings. I’m talking about a truly disturbing problem. However, this problem is somewhat related to whether one says “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” No, I’m wondering which side of the Pond has it correct? Is it “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Christmas,” as … Read More “The Christmas War” »